Paris textile trade fairs recorded 81% of visitors came from abroad, say organisers

The very established Messe Frankfurt France which organised the group of  complementing textile and fashion trade fairs: APPAREL SOURCING PARIS – AVANTEX PARIS – SHAWLS & SCARVES PARIS the accessories showcase – TEXWORLD PARIS – TEXWORLD DENIM PARIS -  which took place at Le Bourget, Paris, from 11 to 14 February 2018, reportedly welcomed 13,606 international visitors, acknowledging that opening the shows on a Sunday had been a success.

 “This February 2018 show with our initiative for a Sunday opening was a trial run for us. The gamble of opening the trade fair on a Sunday (had) paid off with an attendance of 18% of total visitors, who were able conduct their business in a calmer atmosphere,” said Michael Scherpe, President of Messe Frankfurt France, adding that the second day of the fairs, which fell on a Monday proved to be their busiest day of this edition.  However he confirmed that come September 2018, the shows will revert to their previous timetable to open on a Monday, 17th September running until 20th September 2018.

Mr Scherpe revealed that this February, the shows’ attendance remain international: the top five countries were respectively France, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Spain, and Italy.  New visitors were recorded from North America (+7%) and the African continent (+26%), led by the countries who are major suppliers for Europe such as Morocco (+25%) and Turkey (+15%), who came to Le Bourget to carry out sourcing.

The shows welcomed also visitors from emerging markets such as South Africa as well as Ethiopia, which was the country of honour this season.

“The Southern Hemisphere has proved to be very promising, since Australasia recorded a healthy increase of 55%. Nonetheless, we have noted a drop of 6% in attendance from Asian countries, obviously due to Chinese New Year, an all-important family celebration.  Anticipating that many Chinese exhibitors would be bringing their families, the shows also set up a day care centre to accommodate accompanying children.

“On the other hand, Turkey is very active with a 20% increase.  Returning to Europe, here visitor numbers from Eastern European countries have kept growing compared with February 2017, especially from Russia (+38%), Poland (+15%) and Hungary (+8%), and we see favourable results for the Ukraine, Cyprus, Finland and Bulgaria.

"These steady and sustainable visitor numbers go to demonstrate how very attractive Messe Frankfurt France’s Paris shows are and their strength as a business platform,” said Mr. Scherpe.

All Photos © Lucia Carpio 2018